Chevy Suburban 2500 help

[slravene]

Vehicle: 1996 Chevy Suburban 2500. 454, 2wd, 14 bolt rear end.

First problem:

My brakes....SUCK.

When I stand on the brakes in a danger situation, the pedal goes in, the anti lock brakes start flaring up, and the truck keeps on going.

It stops fine in normal driving situations, but when I need to actually stop it takes waaaaaay to long to get it to slow down. I dont want to just start throwing parts at it, so does anyone with some brake system knowledge give me some insight as to what may be the culprit here?

Another thing...when i hit the brakes hard, it pulls to the passenger side and I have to over steer to the driver side to keep it in a straight line.

Second problem:

It stutters and feels like there is a miss.

The RPMs dont vary much, but they vary enough to make the truck feel like its bucking under some load. Usually under acceleration or load. It doesnt happen all the time, just every now and then. It also seems like if I floor it and run it at a high RPM that the stutter isnt as noticable as it is at a lower/mid range RPM.

I intend to check and replace the plugs/wires to see if this helps, but does anyone have any other ideas as to what it may be beyond that?

Thanks for the help!

[GMCTruxrule]

Can't help you with the engine problems...but it sounds like you have possibly two break issues:

First, the rear brakes are not adjusted evenly, hence the pulling to one side.

One brake is engaging sooner than the other. thats an easy enough thing to fix.

It sounds like the master cylinder is faulty from the above symptoms you describe on your failing to stop under hard braking.

[Edhunter666]

try unplugging the abs, if the problem stops it could be a bad sensor.

[fister13]

My suburban i had to change the abs on same year motor except 4x4. I now have a werid clicking sound from idle to 10mph but then goes away. its doesn't click in 4x4 and help?

[slravene]

changed the master cyl and bled the brakes...MAN that fluid was doo doo brown!

From what i can tell in the parking lot, this thing stops waaaaay better now! I'm going to hook up the trailer and load the buggy and test it for sure and hopefully that fixed that.

As for the running rough...Im going to change the plug wires and see what that does. I noticed today that one or two of the wires are arcing off the header heat shield due to the shitty Vato-Zone self clamp on wires that the PO used. Gonna see if that fixes anything.

[93_Burrito]

2 more suggestions:

1. The rubber brake hoses for the front wheels soften with age, allowing them to stretch when you press the pedal... You may want to replace them with new rubber hoses, or upgrade to braided stainless steel lines. Also, a hose may be failing from the inside, where a rubber "flap" could float around and restrict fluid movement... which could cause a pull to one side.

2. '96 2500 454 Sub has a hydraulic brake booster, like the diesels, correct? You may want to flush your power steering fluid, too.

[slravene]

well i think ive gotten the brakes good enough....

Now on to the running issue. Would bad plug wires cause it to stutter and buck (not too hard of a buck, but definately noticable) under load?

Could this be a timing issue as well?

[TANK76]

Originally Posted by slravene

well i think ive gotten the brakes good enough....

Now on to the running issue. Would bad plug wires cause it to stutter and buck (not too hard of a buck, but definately noticable) under load?

Could this be a timing issue as well?

Mabey change your fuel fiter. That can be symptomatic under load.

[RusseII]

Originally Posted by slravene

well i think ive gotten the brakes good enough....

Now on to the running issue. Would bad plug wires cause it to stutter and buck (not too hard of a buck, but definately noticable) under load?

Could this be a timing issue as well?

Is the check engine light on? If its on it could be number of things including crank sensor or cam sensor. If not, most likely plugs wires or dist-cap

[Crash_AF]

If you know that the plug wires are arcing to the heat shield, then yes, I'd say that's your problem or at least one of them. Start with the cheap tune up stuff, then move on to the expensive sensors and junk.